12 Days of Christmas
by I-Heart-Hatake-Kakashi
Summary: 1 day, told through 12 people's lives, all leading up to a party! Not really about pairings, but some Nejiten, ShikaTema, KibaHina, NaruSaku might be implied, and quite possibly one-sided GaaTen, SaiTen, LeeSaku, and others as well.
1. Day One : Neji

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

A/N: Technically this will be 1 day, as experienced by 12 people, thus 12 different days. It will of course be mostly drabbles since it's 12 days in a row that I'll be updating (hopefully), so yeah... hope you all enjoy it XD

**On the 1st Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... A partridge in a Pear Tree.**

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**_**DAY ONE: NEJI****  
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Christmas was not a holiday that was celebrated in the village hidden in the leaves. In fact, it wasn't a holiday even known or recognized in their part of the world. Still, since Ino had heard about it, and discovered that it came hand and hand with gift giving and parties, two of her favorite things, the blonde girl had become very excited about the idea of celebrating it with their friends. Somehow, she had convinced them all to have a party and exchange secret gifts.

Two days before the party was scheduled, they had all written their names down on tiny pieces of paper and shuffled them in a small hat. Each of them, including the Kazekage and his siblings – who were conveniently scheduled to be in the village that week – had pulled out a name, one at a time. They had kept the name secret, as per the rules of the game, or at least according to what Ino had told them was the custom. They were then informed that that name represented the person they were meant to buy a gift for. The rest of the party details had been quickly worked out, and each person was assigned to some part of the preparations.

It was all last minute, but everything pretty much seemed to be going smoothly. Originally the party was to be held in Ino's apartment, since she had been the one to suggest holding the festivities in the first place. Having heard about the event, however, and the fact that the Kazekage would be attending, the Hyuga elders had quickly volunteered one of the great halls in the compound for the party.

It was fortunate that there were very few missions during this time of the year, and so everyone was mostly free for the three days of planning and preparations. Gaara of course, being busy with political affairs, had been excused from helping out, as had Temari, who had snuck off with the excuse that she was his escort so she couldn't participate in the preparations either. Their brother, however, had not gotten off so easily. Along with Chouji and Shikamaru, Kankuro had been placed in charge of the food and drinks, while Lee, Tenten, and Shino took care of music. Ino, Hinata, and Sakura had been put in charge of making all of the decorations, along with Kiba who had somehow been convinced into making flora arrangements – donated from the Yamanaka shop of course – along side the girls. As for Neji, Naruto, and Sai, they had been tasked with the job of putting up the decorations the actual day of the party.

It was convenient that Naruto had so many shadow clones at his disposal, so that Neji could sneak out to buy the gift he had yet to get. Looking down at the small piece of paper in his hand, which he wasn't quite sure why he was still holding on to considering he didn't really need to look at it to know who his gift was supposed to be for at this point, the Hyuga furrowed his brow, still racking his brain for an idea.

The name he had received was that of the mid-drift wearing ROOT member whom he didn't particularly know all that well. The gift giving was meant to be kept secret, so Neji hadn't been allowed to ask anyone for what kind of things the socially awkward teen might liked.

To be perfectly honest, the Hyuga knew very little about the other man. He knew he that Sai was on Naruto's team, as a replacement for Sasuke. He knew Sai was a member of ROOT, a special branch of the ANBU forces. This obviously met that he was a skilled shinobi, as it was rumored most ROOT members were trained mercilessly from a very early age. It also meant he was an orphan, as all ROOT members generally were. Everything else about him, however, was a complete mystery to the Hyuga prodigy, as he had never actually interacted all that much with the younger man. Knowing this, when they were assigned to do the same work together, Neji had thought it would be a good opportunity to observe Sai and perhaps come up with an idea for a gift. Unfortunately he hadn't really learned anything other than the fact that, like most of them, he seemed to really admire Naruto and hold him in high regard. That piece of information didn't particularly serve Neji of much use, as he couldn't very well give Naruto away as a gift, so another thought occurred to him instead. While the Hyuga was hardly ever the type to shirk off his responsibilities, he decided that since Naruto was using his shadow clones to get the job done more quickly, that would be the perfect opportunity to go check out the ANBU's apartment for clues.

Yes, it was sneaky and a bit stalkerish, but really he didn't have any other ideas and there wasn't all that much time til the party. Thankfully, Neji knew where the ROOT dorms were and he was very skilled at finding things. It didn't take him long to come upon the younger man's apartment, and with his byakugan eyes, he was able to maneuvered through any traps with ease. As soon as he stepped into the small bedroom and looked around, Neji had a pretty good idea of the few things Sai might be interested in.

Around the room, small paintings and portraits lined the walls. There were also bookshelves with lots of books, most of them with bookmarks and lots of highlighting in them. At the farthest end of the room, Neji was rather surprised to see a small bonsai tree, with a book on gardening next to it, and besides those a small gilded cage with a toy bird inside of it. On the opposite side of the cage, was a book on quails that had been left open to a page of fun facts, such as 'there is no difference between a quail and a partridge,' 'quails usually mate for life,' and 'the male has been know to look after his chicks if his mate meets with mishap.'

At that, it occurred to Neji that perhaps a real bird to place in the cage instead of the toy, would be a good gift to give the younger shinobi. However, knowing that ANBU's life was more busy and chaotic than even that of a jounin, he decided against it. He also didn't particularly like birds in cages, for personal reasons, so that was definitely not an option.

The more he looked around, the more he thought perhaps something for his art would be a good gift idea. Unfortunately, it was at this time, that stumbled across a quickly, but beautifully, drawn sketch of a very familiar bun-haired girl among the unframed drawings on the middrift-wearing shinobi's desk. It did not, in the least bit, amuse the Hyuga, and so he ended up rushing back to the compound to give the man a few 'critiques' on his art, forgetting completely about the gift he was supposed to go buy.

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**_**TBC...****  
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A/N: don't worry this isn't a love triangle of any kind (well maybe a little hinting of NejiTenGaa), this was just a bit of an amusing thought for me... I think Sai would draw people. And I think he would especially like to draw Tenten because of the "curves." Plus you all know how much I like to torture Neji XD


	2. Day Two : Lee

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

A/N: Technically this will be 1 day, as experienced by 12 people, thus 12 different days. It will of course be mostly drabbles since it's 12 days in a row that I'll be updating (hopefully), so yeah... hope you all enjoy it XD

**On the 2nd Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... two turtle doves.**

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**_**DAY TWO: LEE****  
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"Lee..." the bun-haired girl shook her head incredulously as she eyed the aforementioned younger boy carrying what looked to be over a dozen shopping bags. It didn't take a genius to figure out exactly what it was that had happened. "You're not supposed to buy everyone a gift!" she groaned, still shaking her head at the bowl-haired shinobi.

"TENTEN-SAN!" Lee shouted excitedly as he turned to face his female teammate, having not realized she was standing besides him, outside of a novelty shop, until he heard her speak to him.

At her words, Lee turned down to look at the bags he held in his hands. It was true, he had gone a little overboard and bought gifts for almost everyone. Everyone that is, except the one person he was supposed to buy a gift for.

"I hope you're not looking at that for Neji." Tenten pointed at the ceramic doves sitting in the window display in front of them.

Lee turned, tilting his head curiously as he eyed the decorative display. They were cute. A pair of white doves that appeared to be kissing, as their tiny beaks fit together perfectly, creating the illusion that they were one piece instead of a set. At the base, however, it was evident that the doves were in fact separate from one another, as the words 'love doves' were printed on what was supposed to be a patch of snow that the two birds were sitting on as they kissed. Each word was placed under one bird, making one of the birds sit over 'love' as the other sat over 'doves.' As he continued to observe the ceramic set, Lee smiled thinking that if he did buy them he'd probably give one to Neji and another to Tenten. But no, he already had his gift for both of his teammates, and he was certain they would like what he had gotten for them.

"Is that what you intend to give our youthful genius, Tenten-san?" Lee teasingly replied. He smiled as he saw the girl flush at his question, not knowing that in fact the kunoichi _had_ drawn Neji's name out of the hat.

Though he often pretended to be ignorant of most things, as he watched the girl shuffle on her feet nervously, Lee couldn't help but have a tiny knowing smirk spread on his face. Oh he knew how the two teammates felt about each other, better than most. Though both weapons mistress and Hyuga prodigy were adept at masking their emotions, one through stoicism and the other through cheerful smiles, it was impossible for their two other teammates not to have long since noticed the unmistakable attraction between the pair.

"Perhaps you should give him one and keep the other," he further teased, earning an even deeper blush on the kunoichi's face.

Contrary to what most people believed, Lee was not just a sweet and innocent boy. He had in him a rather mischievous streak that didn't go noticed all too often. To most, he said things in such a manner that almost always it was believed he was clueless about his surroundings. In fact, quite the opposite was true. Everything about him was actually perfectly calculated and thoroughly planned out, especially the 'innocuous' things he often said.

"I...ah..." Tenten stammered, blushing a deeper red than even that of the Kazekage's crimson hair. "You know you're just going to end up making everyone else feel bad about only getting one gift," she finally replied, apparently choosing to ignore Lee's suggestion.

"No!" Lee gasped, realizing she was right. "That would be most unyouthful!" he decided, though at the same time, he still felt he wanted to give his other friends gifts as well.

"Oh Lee," Tenten giggled softly, shaking her head again as she smiled with an expression that told him she thought he was hopeless. His attempt to make her forget her embarrassment had obviously succeeded as she shrugged her shoulders and placed a hand on one of his. "Well, you can always hand them out some other time," the bun-haired girl suggested.

"Hai." Lee nodded, giving her a wide grin and thumbs up. Then he quickly turned down and dug through one of his bags to pull out a leafy green plant with tiny white seeds and handed it to the kunoichi.

"What's this?" Tenten looked at the plant oddly as she took it in her hand.

"I bought it from the Yamanaka flower shop," he cheerfully informed her.

"What's it for?"

"For Neji," he beamed, inwardly smirking as he watched the girl observing the plant in her hands, not knowing what it was for yet. "Just hold it over both of your heads next time you see him," the bowl-haired boy added as he turned to leave and finish with his shopping.

"But what is it?" Tenten called out as he started jogging away.

"MISTLETOE!" Lee yelled out, chuckling under his breath as he saw the kunoichi's face return to it's earlier flushed state. Ino had, of course, informed all of them about the Christmas customs, including the kissing plant.

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**_**TBC...****  
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A/N: I wanted to give Lee a different personality in this one... not sure what I think about it though.


	3. Day Three : Ino

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

A/N: Technically this will be 1 day, as experienced by 12 people, thus 12 different days. It will of course be mostly drabbles since it's 12 days in a row that I'll be updating (hopefully), so yeah... hope you all enjoy it XD

**On the 3rd Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... three french hens.**

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**_**DAY THREE: INO****  
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Of all the names Ino could have possibly picked out, it just had to be the sand kunoichi who she was obligated to buy a gift for.

It wasn't that she didn't like the older woman. They got along just fine most of the time. The issue was, until their first chunin exams, all those years ago, Ino had been used to being the prettiest girl in their group of friends. Sure the other girls were cute, but Hinata was too shy, Sakura lacked confidence, and Tenten dressed like a tomboy. So naturally, the prettiest of them was Ino.

Well, that was true, until Temari came along. Temari was beautiful, blonde, strong, intelligent, and had more confidence in her little finger than Ino had in her whole body, which was saying a lot. True, she was harsh, and perhaps cold-hearted, but that just made her an even better kunoichi. Ino, of course, was mature enough to admit that she had been jealous of the older woman from the start. But what really seemed to create an apparent rivalry between the two women was, of all things, a man.

Ino was a flirt. She didn't deny that. She liked men. She liked being the center of attention. She liked being able to boss her men around. And up until the Suna kunoichi entered her circle of friends, one of the men Ino enjoyed bossing around the most, was none other then the lazy genius of her team. But when Temari came into the picture, everything changed.

"It's not like I like him or anything," Ino scoffed, rolling her eyes at the thought of her and Shikamaru as anything more than just friends.

It just didn't make sense. Ino liked handsome bishie boys, and Shikamaru certainly wasn't that. Sure, he was super smart and that made him somewhat attractive, but he was no Sasuke, or Sai. Now _those_ were good looking men.

"You like who?" a teasing voice called out from behind Ino.

She immediately recognized who it was, and quickly turned to face the smirking sand-kunoichi, who was standing besides her red-headed younger brother.

"Oh, you're alone." Temari arched her neck and looked to the side of the younger girl, verifying that in fact the Yamanaka was alone. "Do you often make it a habit of talking to yourself?"

"What?" Ino's brow furrowed, wondering what the older woman was talking about.

"Sounded like you were having a conversation just now," the sand-jounin elaborated. "I just thought you were gossiping away with the other little hens."

Ino was just about to argue with the older kunoichi, which was more likely than not the response the older woman was hoping to get, when the Kazekage cleared his throat from besides his sister and spoke in his deep gravely voice, "Temari, it's time to get to the meeting with Lady Tsunade." Gaara reminded her. He turned to Ino, with a plain expression on his stoic face and nodded curtly. "We shall see you at the party later today, Yamanaka-san."

"Okay, fine," Temari rolled her eyes, before turning back to the younger girl and smiling mischievously. "Tell that lazy bum he better dress up, or else!"

And with that the two siblings took off in the direction of the Hokage mansion, leaving the blonde leaf kunoichi once more to ponder just exactly what she could be getting her older friend.

"Maybe a muzzle!" she groaned, before turning on her heels and heading towards the village shopping district.

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**_**TBC...****  
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**A/N**: This one's a lot shorted than the others, but seriously, I had very little to write for Ino... this was all I could come up with :P... plus I only had 30 minutes before it was day 4... and I haven't slept for 8 days straight so I can't exactly be expected to be turning out gold each and every time.


	4. Day Four : Sai

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**On the 4th Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... four calling birds.**

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**_**DAY FOUR: SAI****  
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"Naruto?" the pale-skin ANBUS addressed his hyperactive friend. "Do girls like birds?"

"Huh?" Hanging from the ceiling where he and his clones had just finished setting up the last of the decorations, Naruto turned to face the older boy. "What are you talking about?" he asked, after swinging down and landing a few feet in front of his friend. The rest of his clones quickly disappeared. "agh," Naruto groaned as he felt the exhaustion of all his clones bare down on him.

"The birds," Sai gestured his arms to point around the room.

He had noticed rather early that along with flower arrangements, shiny globes, colorful balloons, weaved garland, and poinsettia plants, a lot of the other decorations included birds. Doves, swans, penguins, and other such avian creatures. That was what led him to his question.

"Oh yeah," Naruto rubbed the back of his head pensively. "And Sakura-san was in charge of making an ice swan," he observed.

"So girls do like birds?" Sai half-asked, half-concluded.

He had been struggling with what to get as his secret gift. The person he had been in charge of giving something to was one of the girls. Tenten, the one with the twin buns on her head and the strange fascination with weaponry.

With the exception of Sakura, and perhaps Ino, Sai didn't really know very many other girls, and so it had proven to be a rather difficult task to get something for the older kunoichi. He had considered giving her a weapon, but wondered what would be a good one to give her. His other thought had been to make her a painting of some sort, but he couldn't come up with any ideas other than a quick, but beautiful, sketch of the girl herself. It didn't really seem like a good enough gift though, so Sai had been left at a loss for what to give.

Seeing the various birds used in the party decoration, and knowing that it had been the girls who had made most of them, he had begun to wonder if perhaps it was because girls like birds.

"mmm... maybe Ino," Naruto shrugged in response. "It's her theme, after all."

"Oh." Sai sighed, somewhat disappointed. He was now back to square one.

"What's wrong? Did you get one of the girls as your gift person?"

Backing up a bit as the excited blonde cheerfully approached him, Sai nodded in response. "Yes, and I do not know what I should give her."

Naruto seemed to find the whole thing amusing, as his somewhat creepy smile grew wider and wider with each passing moment. It was probably because he knew Sai had very little experience when it came to the fairer sex. Of course, Naruto wasn't exactly an expert either. He was still chasing after his first love with very little success. Well, at least from what Sai could tell. Though according to Naruto, he had gone out to eat ramen together with Sakura a number of times already and that meant he was getting closer to winning her over.

"Well, Sakura and Hinata are pretty easy." Naruto began, shrugging his shoulders as he shuffled his feet, exhausted, walking over toward the now empty box of decorations. "They're both girly girls, and probably would like flowers. And well, I guess Ino likes birds. Temari's not a very girly girl like the rest of them though, so if you got her, you should probably get her a weapon. Tenten loves weapons too, but I think she already owns every weapon there is." Naruto paused and stopped for a moment to think deeply. "Plus, I bet she gets weapons as gifts all the time. I think she'd appreciate something more thoughtful, that comes from the heart."

Sai remained silent for a moment as he observed the younger boy, taking in his words. "Are you sure your male?" he asked, tilting his head to the side and staring at Naruto crotch, thinking it was rather flat for a boy.

"Hey! Where are you looking!" Naruto quickly covered his nether regions, glaring angrily at the older shinobi.

"Or perhaps you are what is referred to as a 'sensitive man'," Sai turned his head up to pensively face the ceiling wondering if what he said could be the case. Naruto certainly had the qualities of what a sensitive man would be, at least according to the book Sai had once read on the subject. Remembering that sensitive men were said to be good at giving gifts, the ANBU turned back to Naruto, "Would a hand made painting count as something from the heart?"

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**_**TBC...****  
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	5. Day Five : Kiba

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**On the 5th Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... five golden rings!**

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**_**DAY FIVE: KIBA****  
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What to do, what to do. That was the question plaguing the Inzuka's mind ever since he pulled his kunoichi teamate's name out of the gift hat.

Actually, she wasn't just his teammate. For the passed two years, Hinata had been his girlfriend too. Although... she had actually been the girl Kiba loved for many years before that. Before she'd ever even noticed him as more than just a friend and teammate. Back when she still harbored a very obvious crush on a certain blonde knucklehead, who was quickly on his way to becoming the next hokage.

Kiba didn't hold any animosity towards Naruto though. He hadn't, even back then. Though most might find it hard to believe, Kiba had accepted the fact that Hinata loved Naruto. He had even resigned himself to never act upon his feelings because he knew how the kunoichi felt and he certain didn't want to be the one to stand in the way of her happiness. He loved her that much. Enough to forsake his own happiness if it meant that she would get hers.

Thankfully though, in the end, his happiness and hers had been the same. Or at least, that's what he hoped. Though they had been dating for two years now, the future was never set in stone. Hinata was the Hyuga heiress after all, and with her position came restrictions. Among them being who she was permitted to see romantically. It had taken Kiba a year to convince the elders that he was worthy of the kunoichi. Her father had been a little more lenient, since he had come to know Kiba over the years, and had even attributed the girl's increased confidence to the Inuzuka. Though, truth be told, Kiba didn't think he had all that much to do with it. Hinata had found her own strength. He had just been fortunate enough to be able to be there to support her in her own personal growth.

And that's what he wanted.

To be there. Always. With her.

Looking down at the small box he held in his hand, Kiba wondered if it was such a good idea to do what he was planning on doing.

"It wasn't like I just decided this," the fang-faced boy mused to himself as he opened the case and looked down at the five gold bands that made up the intricately designed ring. At the center, a solitary princess cut diamond gave the elegantly sculpted ring a simple appearance. But the five rings, interwoven together said otherwise.

He had been planning on asking the blue-haired heiress that most important of questions for her birthday, which was a few days away, but when the whole party and gift idea began floating around, and then he happened to pick her name from the hat... Kiba had wondered if it was destiny speaking to him. A sign from the heavens on high that he should ask her then.

He didn't want it to seem like it was a spur of the moment thing though. It was something he'd been thinking about long and hard, and the last thing he wanted was for Hinata to think otherwise.

Kiba loved her, and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

But would she say yes?

If he asked her, and she said no, he knew she'd feel guilty. Her enormous heart would prevent her from fully enjoying the rest of the party, and he didn't want that. Especially not after she had worked so hard and had enjoyed herself so much making the party decorations with him and the other girls.

"heh," Kiba chuckled under his breath remembering how cute the Hyuga princess had looked under the flower crown he had crafted and placed on her head as they worked together to make the party favors.

She had looked at him with so much love and tenderness, and a smile that melted his heart.

"I want to see that smile every day of my life..." Kiba smirked.

And that was it. He had made up his mind.

He would give her the ring.

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**_**TBC...****  
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	6. Day Six : Chouji

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**On the 6th Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... six geese a laying**

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**_**DAY SIX: CHOUJI****  
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"Stop that!" Chouji swatted the hand of the puppet-wielder as the older man picked at one of the appetizer plates. "Those are for the party."

"hey!" Kankuro pulled his hand back quickly, rubbing it from the pain of having a rolling-pin slammed on his knuckles. "You were eating too," he accusingly protested.

In the corner of the room, the Akimichi's best friend shrugged to his pleading look, asking for a little support. For the past three days, however, the two shinobi had had the same argument over and over, with neither of them ever really winning the debate. It was only logical Shikamaru would have given up on trying to persuade either of them that it was pointless. And while he normally sided with his childhood friend, at this point the whole thing was getting too ridiculous, that even Chouji couldn't blame him for choosing to stay out of it.

"I'm the Chef." the younger man reminded his Suna friend. "I can't serve a meal without first sampling it."

"Then let me sample it for once, tubb-"

"Oi!" Shikamaru uncharacteristically shouted and jumped to his feet, quickly covering Kankuro's mouth before he could complete what he was about to say. "Chouji, aren't we almost done?" he asked his chubby friend, hoping to change the subject.

"Oh, umm..." Chouji turned to the ovens behind him and check to see if the main dish was almost finished. "An hour more I think."

Pulling Shikamaru off of him, Kankuro sighed, "Do we really need six geese?" he asked, having wondered for a while now why they needed that much food when there was only going to be fifteen of them at the party.

"Of course!" Chouji nodded before turning back to the previous dish he'd been working on before this whole conversation started. He didn't feel the need to explain any further, as it seemed rather obvious to him why they would need that much food, and explaining it now would just take up more of this time in preparing the rest of the food.

"Six geese is a lot of food, plus you've got over a dozen side dishes, ten appetizers, and fifteen desserts." Kankuro countered, still seeking an explanation as to why so much food was necessary.

"We've also got Chouji, Kiba, and Naruto eating at this thing." Shikamaru lazily responded in place of his teammate who was now busy slicing up the pies into perfect pieces. "Not to mention Ino..."

"Ino?" the purple-faced man looked at the Nara questioningly.

"Oh yeah." Shikamaru nodded. "She may be crazy about crash diets, but that's only because when she eats... she eats."

"You don't say..."

"Oi! What are you guys doing over there!" the loud, high pitched voice of the aforementioned kunoichi yelled out into the kitchen as she walked into the room where the three men were supposed to be making the party food. "Shouldn't you two be helping Chouji?" Ino scolded the men.

"Give it a rest Ino," Shikamaru lazily replied, shrugging his shoulders and turning to walk back to his comfortable little corner, where he'd been mostly napping all day. "We're almost done, just ask him yourself." he nodded over towards the Akimichi.

"Oh?" Ino turned and walked over toward Chouji, picking at the next appetizer he was busy preparing and popping a piece into her mouth. "mmm tastes delicious." she smiled at the husky boy, before turning to leave again. "Good job guys!" Ino called out as she waved back, walking back into the hall from whence she came from.

As the boys watched her walk out, Kankuro turned back towards the robust boy, who, unbeknownst to him was hiding his blushing face as he continued to prepare the snacks in front of him. "Hey!" the puppet-master protested, "how come you didn't smack her?"

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**_**TBC...****  
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	7. Day Seven : Sakura

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**On the 7th Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... seven swans a-swimming**

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**_**DAY SEVEN: SAKURA****  
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Three days.

Three days and six blocks of ice.

That's how long and how much work the pink haired medic nin had put into her task for the party. While the other girls... and Kiba... helped make flower arrangements and paper cranes and balloons and other decorations, Sakura's main job had been to finish the 10-foot-tall ice sculpture.

Why it had to be 10 feet tall, only Ino knew.

Whatever the reason, it was not an easy task. Sakura had tried carving, she'd tried fire, she'd tried pummeling the ice with her fist, and nothing seemed to work.

She was now on her seventh block of ice, hoping this one would finally turn out to be the swan she was supposed to deliver. But again, it didn't seem like it was working. And unfortunately the party was going to start soon and Sakura hadn't even gone to buy her gift for Lee, whom she had picked out as her secret gift recipient.

"haaah," the pink-haired kunoichi sighed deeply, wondering what she was going to do. She wasn't making any progress, and worse, her arms and fists were beginning to go numb with pain.

"Is something wrong Sakura-san?" a familiar voice called the medic from behind her, in the old team 7 training field, where she'd been pounding on the ice sculptures since early in the morning.

"Lee!" Sakura turned surprised, her eyes widened further still as she noticed the numerous shopping bags in the older boy's hands. "You know we're only supposed to give one person a gift, right Lee?"

The bowl-haired boy sheepishly grinned, a slight blush coloring his cheeks as he nodded. "Yes, I know." he blushed further.

"hahaha," Sakura laughed, shaking her head. "It's so like you Lee," she grinned, her earlier stresses forgotten.

He really was such a sweet boy. When they had first met, the pink-haired girl had been so childish and immature, only looking at his outward appearance and his goofy demeanor. It was shameful really. She knew that now. And while her feelings for the boy hadn't quite progressed much further than mere friendship, Sakura was mature enough now to realize that a boy as good and as nice as Lee was worth more than any pretty face.

"Is there something I can help you with, Sakura-san?" The sincerity with which he offered his assistance could melt even the ice blocks surrounding them. It was so sweet, she even found herself swooning. Or perhaps it was the pain. Whatever the case, Sakura couldn't help but smile as she nodded in response.

"I'm trying to make a swan," she explained, gesturing over to the unfinished ice sculpture behind her. "This is my seventh try."

Lee looked the shapeless block of ice up and down curiously. Then he turned and smiled at the kunoichi, before putting his shopping bags to one side and stepping up to the block of ice.

"Do not worry, Sakura-san!" he gave her a wide grin and confident thumbs up. "I can do this in less than ten minutes, or I shall run one hundred laps around the village!"

"Lee," Sakura began to protest his excessive punishment for something that was her responsibility, but before she even had a chance to continue, a green blur began rapidly chipping away at the ten foot block of ice.

Tiny little frost bits were scattered over the training field, and sure enough in under ten minutes, the movement stopped and standing next to a majestic looking swan, stood an equally spectacularly wonderful Lee with a big goofy grin aimed at the pink-haired medic.

"Thanks Lee." Sakura gave the older boy a quick peck on the cheek, mentally telling herself she would be sure to give Lee the best gift she could come up with.

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**_**TBC...****  
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A/N: hey, I may not be a LeeSaku shipper, but poor boy deserved something for his work XD


	8. Day Eight : Hinata

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: for those that have asked, YES there will be a 13th chapter that wraps this all up. I also want to take this moment to say thanks to everyone who has reviewed. To be perfectly honest most of these chapters aren't all that planned out before hand, they're done in under an hour and not my best work, but I'm really how with how the story has been turning out so far and I'm glad there's so many people who are liking it. Thanks for the favs and the comments, I really do appreciate them. :D

**On the 8th Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... eight maids a milking**

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**_**DAY EIGHT: HINATA****  
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There was a knock at the door. Hinata, quickly rose from her feet and walked over to the entrance of her bedroom. Two maids bowed politely before entering. They brought with them a large box. Behind them, four more maids walked in carrying her kimono and accessories.

"We brought what you asked for," one of the first two maids informed the Hyuga heiress, as they walked over to the bed and laid the large box on it.

Inside the box, was another kimono. Hand made by two of the Hyuga seamstresses. It was the gift Hinata had decided to give Ino. A kimono made of the finest silks, not unlike the one the blue-haired girl would be wearing to the party. Of course, the patterns were different. Colors and patterns chosen by the timid girl specifically for her blonde friend.

Often in the past, Ino had expressed admiration for the Hyuga girl's fine kimonos. So of course when she picked the Yamanaka girl's name out of the hat, Hinata had instantly thought to have one made especially for her. It was light in color, a power blue color as clear as a spring sky. The obi sash that would cover the midsection was a soft canary yellow with delicately woven pink and white flowers. The entire outfit was made of silk, imported from exotic lands and carrying the faint scent of those places.

It had taken all of three days for the kimono to be made. A bit rushed, but all things considered it had been beautifully and masterfully done. Hinata had been quite pleased with the final product, and was confident her friend would love it too.

"Thank you." the timid girl smiled at the two maids who politely smiled and then once more left, leaving the four other maids behind to help the Hyuga heiress get ready for the party.

Before their arrival, Hinata had already bathed and put on the nagajuban slip she would wear under her kimono. Two maids quickly began wrapping her up in the lavender and white silk robes as the other two prepared her accessories. At that moment, two more walked in and headed for the kunoichi, quickly grabbing their brushes and busily beginning their work on her hair.

It took an hour, but in the end, Hinata looked like the princess she was.

Though her status as heir to the most powerful clan in the village made her so, Hinata still felt a little embarrassed thinking of herself as a princess. Today, however, she had really wanted to be one, or at least play the part.

Earlier, she had had so much fun with the other girls, making the decorations for the party. But what she'd most enjoyed had been getting to spend some quality time with her boyfriend of two years, Kiba. She loved him so very much. However, though they had been together for a long time, Hinata had still not said those three special words. Well, at least not directly. She'd said them over and over again to the picture of him that sat on her night table. And she'd told him a number of times during missions while he was fast asleep. But up until now, she had not had the courage to tell him in person. Oh, she had wanted to, but her nerves, and the pain of rejection from the first time she ever said those words to a boy, had always got in her way.

Kiba, of course, had told her many times already that he loved her truly and deeply. He had even fought for her, facing the daunting task of facing the Elders and proving his worth to them. Not that he needed their approval, or at least that's what he'd told Hinata. No, he didn't require it. He would have stayed with her even if they had refused him. But he had wanted them to accept him, not for himself, but for her. He wanted things to be as problem-free as they could be in the Hyuga clan, and so he had faced each trial and test that they had thrown at him. For a year he had put up with it, and never once complained. Instead, during and after each struggle, he would merely smile and hug her, telling Hinata that he loved her very much.

It had made the girl feel like she was the most important person in the world. And yet through all that, she had still never said those three special words.

Kiba understood though. And he had even told her, that she didn't need to force herself to say them. The first time he said it, he had smiled and whispered in her ear that she didn't need to say it back until she felt comfortable. That he would wait forever if the need arose.

But Hinata didn't want him to wait forever. She didn't want him to wait another single day.

Today, she had determined that at the party, she would finally say it. Hinata would tell Kiba how she felt about him.

And that's why the Hyuga girl wanted to look as pretty a princess, so she could tell her wild and wonderful prince that she loved him, with all of her heart.

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**_**TBC...****  
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A/N: I kind of melted myself with this one... I dare anyone not to love Kibahina (even if just a little bit) after this one XD


	9. Day Nine : Shikamaru

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**On the 9th Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... nine ladies dancing.**

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**_**DAY NINE: SHIKAMARU****  
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"Just... wrap that up," Shikamaru yawned as he instructed the girl behind the counter at the little knickknack shop he discovered moments earlier.

Next door at the Akimichi family restaurant, Chouji and Kankuro had started yet another argument over the food they were supposed to prepare. This time, however, Shikamaru had finally gotten tired of being forced to pick a side, when he knew neither of them was ever really going to let their side go even if he did tell them what he thought. Wanting to get out of it, he stated he had not yet bought his gift, and had excused himself to go out and search for something for the pink-haired medic, who had been the one whose name Shikamaru had pulled out of the hat.

He'd only walked a few steps before spotting a window display with two doves kissing. Having not been able to come up with anything at all in the last two days, Shikamaru had decided that maybe some little decorative trinket might make a good gift.

The lazy nin considered buying the doves, knowing that Ino had a particular fondness for birds, and considering the two medic-nins were such good friends, he thought perhaps Sakura would be the same. Of course he quickly dismissed the thought almost as soon as he had it, since, from his experience, despite all women being insufferably troublesome, one of the many things that made them so, was that no two women were alike.

He had walked around the quaint little shop for only a few minutes before spotting a small box in the corner. It was made of oak wood, varnished in red tint, and appeared to have a musical mechanism installed, from the small protruding dial on the back. Curious, Shikamaru had picked it up and opened the lid, only to see a tiny dancing lady inside, accompanied by soft bell-like music.

The music box wasn't of much particular interest to him, but he figure it was something a girl might like, so he picked it up and walked over to the counter to pay for it.

While he was waiting for the girl behind the counter to ring him up and wrap the gift in colorful paper and a bow, Shikamaru spotted Tenten and her bowl-haired teammate talking outside in front of the display window with the two love doves.

He'd been meaning to talk to the bun-haired girl for the last few days. There had been something on his mind, and since she was perhaps the only girl Shikamaru could tolerate and consider the least troublesome of all the girls he knew, he decided he'd ask her advice on the thought that had been bothering him for the last few days.

Quickly paying and pushing the small music box into one of his pockets, the lazy Nara hurriedly walked out to meet the two older shinobi, who were just finishing off their conversation.

"Yo!" he lazily greeted the teammates, who returned the greeting cheerfully, just before the spandex-clad ninja politely excused himself and headed over in the direction of the training fields.

"What's up?" Tenten smiled eagerly as she waited for Shikamaru to tell her why he'd come over to them.

That was one of the things he liked about her, she was good at reading people, so there was never any need to build up to anything with her.

"I have a favor to ask," Shikamaru sighed.

"So ask," the bun-haired girl replied, her smile never faltered. Already he knew she'd say yes to whatever he asked.

"Temari told me I have to dance with her at the party," the lazy genius informed the older girl.

"And you don't know how to dance," she guessed.

Shikamaru merely nodded, not ashamed of the fact that he couldn't so much as tap his feet to a rhythm, let alone dance. "So can you teach me?"

"Sure." Tenten shrugged. "Got some time right now?"

"Yeah," he nodded, and quickly followed her as she took his hand and began leading him away.

Oh the things he did for the most troublesome woman of them all...

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**_**TBC...****  
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	10. Day Ten : Naruto

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**On the 10th Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... ten lords a-dancing**

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**_**DAY TEN: NARUTO****  
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"Stop saying weird things!" Naruto yelled at the former ANBU, still covering his crotch from the older boy's unsettling comment earlier.

"I was merely recalling what I heard," Sai explained. "Is it that you're a bot-"

"Stop it!" Waving his arms in front of him as he walked away, Naruto tried to block it out of his mind. "Well I don't want to know what you heard." He then stopped walking and turned back to the older shinobi. "And stay away from those girls, they're nothing but trouble!"

He didn't want to explain to his clueless friend any further, but wasn't sure if that would be enough. For the last few hours, since Neji had ditched them during the decorating process, Sai and Naruto had gone from one conversation to another. It was surprising, how someone who, not too long ago, had had no social skills and rarely spoke with anyone, could be such a chatterbox.

While Naruto, who was often considered a loudmouth by most, did enjoy talking, Sai's pace of questioning and commenting on things he had learned and observed seemed even too much for the ramen-loving boy. Perhaps it was because peace had finally begun to take root in the world, and the looming threat and dangers of war had finally left them, but for some reason, it seemed like the former ANBU was really trying his best to understand the workings of normal social interactions, now that his circle of friends had expanded. Naruto, being his closest friend, was the one the artistic teen often came to when he had questions he needed answering. It use to be his books, but since he had finally learned that experience was the only way to truly learn something, the older boy had somewhat eased off on the books and started using those around him as his new sources of information.

"I thought it was Shikamaru who believed girls were troublesome," Sai observed.

"No," Naruto slammed his hand against his forehead. "That's not what I meant," he scratched his furrowed brow, trying to figure out how to explain what he had been attempting to say.

"Then only some girls are trouble?" Sai questioned, confusion clearly written on his usually stoic face. "How is one to know which are and which are not?"

Still rubbing his fingers between his eyebrows and the bridge of his nose where those worry lines wrinkled up, Naruto turned back and walked over to his weird friend. "It's not..." he stopped, rethinking what he was about to say. "Girls are..." another pause. "I'M NOT A BOTTOM!" he yelled out, before turning and almost leaping away from the pale boy.

He didn't see it coming. When Naruto turned to run away, he tripped and fell face first against something hard and soft at the same time. It wasn't until he opened his eyes and looked up, that he notice he had fallen on top of the Hyuga head himself, Lord Hiashi.

From above them, Sai stared curiously. "So you _are_ a 'top' after all," he commented, referring to what they'd just been talking about.

And that, was yet another new reason for Naruto's hatred of yaoi fangirls.

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**_**TBC...****  
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A/N: lol not what I expected when I looked at the prompt ("lords a leaping") and Naruto... but it was interesting.


	11. Day Eleven : Shino

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**On the 11th Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... eleven pipers pipping.**

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**_**DAY ELEVEN: SHINO****  
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"That is enough."

Shino nodded toward the head of his clan, acknowledging the older man's statement. Pulling his Kikaichū back, the young Aburame retreated from the training field where he and his father had been practicing since early in the morning hours. Truthfully, he would have preferred to continue training, but he had other commitments to fulfill that evening.

"Have you decided upon what gift you will be giving the kazekage?" his father asked.

Days earlier, his friends had all pulled names from a hat, to determine who they would be giving a secret gift to during the party at the Hyuga compound. Shino had selected Gaara's name out of the hat.

On the first day of the preparations, the bug-wielder had spent most of his day off with Tenten and Lee, deciding on what music to provide for the party. Shino had selected a quartet of pipers, while the bun-haired girl had chosen a percussion group. The spandex-clad shinobi had suggested a polka band, however that was quickly vetoed by the two others in the group.

On the second day, they had already finished with the musical arrangements, and thus had had time to go out and buy their gifts or take care of other personal errands. Shino had had a big of the struggle wondering what it was he would give to the red-headed kage, but in the end, he was confident that his selection was both rank and age appropriate, while at the same time being uniquely special.

Now, the day of the party had finally arrived, and there really was nothing left to do.

"I believe I have," Shino replied to his father as he called in the last of his bugs.

He could feel them buzzing around inside of him, excited about the party later that afternoon. Though if that was actually the reason, their master wasn't quite certain. Perhaps it was that he actually was excited about the festivities since, for once, he had been invited to take part in the actual preparations.

He liked being involved. Why it was his friends rarely asked for his assistance, thinking he had no interest in participating, he'd never understand. Though he was quiet and reserved most of the time, on the inside Shino was much more sociable and caring than people gave him credit for.

"Is there something else on your mind, son?"

Turning to face his father, Shino wondered how it was the older man knew there was unease in his heart. The buzzing inside of him answered that question, as the younger Aburame recalled that his Kikaichū had been birthed by those inside of his father. It seemed only logical that the two sets would be able to understand and communicate well with one another. Perhaps that was the reason he and his father were so similar in nature and understood one another so well.

"I am sure it is nothing," Shino replied, though the buzzing inside of him said different.

There was an excitement inside of him, as if he could feel something big was coming. Perhaps it was the party, or the fact that he had been privileged to play an important role in preparing for it. Or maybe it was the fact that his two teammates had seemed unusually anxious within the last few days. Whatever the reason, one thing Shino was certain of, this 'Christmas' celebration that Ino had invited them all to celebrate in, would certainly be a night to remember; he could feel it.

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**_**TBC...****  
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	12. Day Twelve : Tenten

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!

**On the 12th Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...twelve drummers drumming**

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**_**DAY TWELVE: TENTEN****  
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"Shikamaru!"

"What?" The lazy ninja pulled back, away from the bun-haired girl who had been teaching him how to dance for the last few hours.

"You stepped on my foot again," Tenten replied as she moved down to the floor.

She sat with her legs crossed as she pulled off her right sandal. The big toe was pulsing in her hand as she rubbed it softly, looking up at the so-called genius. He quickly understood, and sighing, sat down in front of her.

"No good?" Shikamaru questioned, as he took hold of her foot and began rubbing. It was the least he could do after the number of times he'd stomped on her toes. She was lucky none of them had broken up to this point.

Placing her hands behind her so she could lean back and rest on her arms, Tenten shook her head. "I didn't think it was possible, but I'm beginning to believe you literally have two left feet."

"Hey!" Shikamaru protested, pulling back her toe just a little too roughly and earning a yelp from the weapons mistress. "Maybe you're just a bad teacher."

"Am not!" Tenten childishly replied, sticking her tongue out at her lazy friend. "And that hurt!" she added, about her toe, which she could now feel her drumming heart beat throbbing on, as the younger boy continued his foot rub. "So why the sudden interest in dancing anyway?"

"I told you," the boy lazily shrugged. "Temari asked."

"So?" Tenten smirked, staring at him skeptically. "Don't forget, I know you Nara, and that's never been reason enough for you to do something before."

"So?" he countered, none too intelligently.

Tenten's expression dropped. "That's your comeback?"

Shikamaru mumbled something under his breath as a reply, but it was too low for the kunoichi to make out. After asking him to repeat himself a couple more times, to which he continued to mumble, Shikamaru eventually just gave in. "I just want to, okay?" the younger boy half-shouted, pouting and turning away, blushing because he'd had to admit something so embarrassing.

Of course seeing the Nara's flushed face, Tenten was not about to let him go that easily. "Why?" she curiously asked, stretching out the last sound like a little kid asking her parents to explain something.

Years of friendship with the weapons mistress told Shikamaru it was pointless to argue that it was none of her business. Reluctantly, he sighed before replying. "I pulled one of the other girl's as my secret gift recipient."

Instantly, almost as if a lightbulb went off in her head, Tenten smiled knowingly. "And Temari's the jealous type."

"Exactly."

She tried hard not to laugh at the younger boy as he shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, but the bun-haired girl just couldn't help it. She laughed for almost five minutes straight, imagining Temari's reaction when she found out her boyfriend would be giving a gift to another girl.

Over the three years she the lazy genius had been dating, Temari had become well known for being the jealous type. More than a few village girls, who had the misfortune of crushing on said genius, had fallen victim to the sand princess' demon wrath. The fact that Shikamaru and the weapons mistress had a good relationship had not gone unnoticed by the older girl. If not for the fact that Tenten had admitted her feelings for Neji to the older girl, Temari would have sent the bun-haired girl to the emergency room like the rest.

"Is it really that funny?" Shikamaru asked, after he'd let the kunoichi laugh until her breath ran out.

"mhm," Tenten nodded.

She knew it wasn't really that funny, but it always amused the kunoichi how that most misogynist guy in the village, a shinobi who thought all women were a nuisance, could have so many girls chasing after him. And out of all of those girls, he happened to have fallen for perhaps the most troublesome of them all.

"Then explain why _you_ don't talk to any civilian guys anymore," the Nara countered, referring to the fact that she had basically the same problem on her hands that he did.

"Oh shut up!"

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**_**TBC... (yes, one more)****  
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	13. Christmas Day

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Let me first say it's been so much fun writing this story, completely unplanned and unscripted each day for the last thirteen days. I didn't think it would turn out as nice as it has, but I'm happy to see that it did and that even this last chapter, though not very long (it is Christmas after all didn't have much time), came out nicely. I tell you all now, I MIGHT make some oneshot side stories to a few of the "loose ends," mainly the Kibahina proposal, and possibly the aftermath of the Nejiten kiss.

I hope you enjoyed this fic, thank you to all those of you who commented XD

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**_**CHRISTMAS DAY****  
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The first Christmas the Leaf had ever seen, was entirely located inside a ballroom within the Hyuga Compound. In years to come, it would spread and grow into a festival that would cover from one end of Fire Country, to the opposite end of Sand Country. It would be a time full of joy and merriment; laughter and excitement. Family and friends would gather and spend the day together. Lovers would embrace one another. The world would be a magical place. All for one night...

But the first night, was just as magical to the fifteen shinobi who gathered in the ballroom to celebrate this once unknown holiday.

"Everything looks very pretty, Ino-chan," the timid Hyuga heiress complimented from besides her uncharacteristically nervous looking boyfriend.

Standing between her two teammates, the pink-haired medic nodded in agreement. "The boys did a good job putting up all the decorations you made," she patted her teammate's arms encouragingly.

"Yeah, good job guys," Ino smiled, congratulating the three boys that had been in charge of decorating the hall.

"Hey!" Naruto, who had been busy stuffing his face all night, turned up from his plate in protest. "That jerk ditched us!" he pointed across the room to where Neji was busy dancing along side the weapons mistress.

Next to the Hyuga and his teammate, was their spandex-wearing friend and Kazekage. The pair were also dancing together, much to the annoyance of the red-head, who had been about to ask Tenten to dance with him, when Lee jumped in and 'innocently' requested that the Sand Kage accompany him in a youthful display of rhythm. Gaara, who everyone knew was weak against the enthusiasm of the bowl-haired boy, had reluctantly agreed. He really hadn't had much choice in the matter though, as the older shinobi had all but bonked him over the head and dragged him to the center of the room to dance.

Also dancing along side them, though much more clumsily, to the amusement of a certain bun-haired girl, were the Kazekage's older sister and her long-time boyfriend. To say it had shocked more than a few of the guest to see Shikamaru not only dance with Temari, but actually be the one to invite her out onto the floor, would have been an understatement. But as most of them would learn on that night and in years to come, Christmas was a time of miracles.

Miracles and wonderfully pleasant surprises.

One such surprise would come to them later that night, when the fang-faced boy and his timid princess would simultaneously confessed their desire to be together forever. The most surprising part about it though, would be the fact that despite having the ring in his pocket the whole night, and nervously fiddling with it to the point that it would wear a hole at the bottom of the pocket and cause the box with the ring to fall, later to be discovered by some overly excited bugs, it would not be Kiba who proposed to Hinata, but the other way around.

Equally as exciting, though not nearly as surprising, would be the passionate kiss shared by the white-eyed prodigy and his bun-haired best friend, who would 'accidently' find themselves under the mistletoe that a certain bushy-browed boy had decided to set up immediately before the party. The same bushy-browed boy who would 'accidently' end up bumping into the pair during his dancing, and end up pushing them in that direction.

It would certainly be a night to remember. A night of magic and love, and joyful celebration with family and friends.

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**_**THE END****  
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_**MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!**_


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